San Francisco 49ers: 5 Best, 5 Worst Draft Picks in the Trent Baalke Era

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November 27, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) passes the football against San Francisco 49ers defensive end Tank Carradine (95) during the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The Seahawks defeated the 49ers 19-3. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Third-Worst: Tank Carradine, DE, Florida State

2013 second-round selection, No. 40 overall

The second round was not kind to the 49ers in 2013. Not only did Vance McDonald underperform, but Tank Carradine has yet to live up to the expectations put on him with such a high selection.

It was Carradine, not Quinton Dial, who was supposed to be the 2013 drafted successor to Justin Smith, but instead, Carradine has started just one game in San Francisco. They knew he would be something of a slow starter, missing the opening part of his rookie season thanks to recovering from an ACL injury, but they were hoping to get something more out of him than a questionable rotational end.

The 49ers are experimenting with moving him back to outside linebacker, but you would have to think he’d been deep on the depth chart there at the moment. He has not yet shown any real pass-rushing power, with only four sacks in his career. He has never played a stand-up role as a linebacker; he was an edge rusher in college, but that was as a 4-3 defensive end, not an OLB.

2016 is the last year on his contract. If he can’t get something going by dropping 30 pounds and changing positions, he’ll end up as one of the most disappointing top-40 picks in recent NFL history.

What could have been: Four picks after Carradine, the Carolina Panthers took Kawann Short, who made the second-team All NFL squad this year at defensive tackle. The 49ers could have also taken running back Le’Veon Bell out of Michigan State, though, again, running back wasn’t a pressing issue in 2013.

Next: A Pass-Rushing Steal